John Alexander

Neighbor News, Letter to the Editor: See a blue light? First Aid Squad asks that you pull your car over NEIGHBOR NEWS (MONTVILLE EDITION) Print Dear Editor, You’re driving through town during the day or evening and you notice a vehicle approaching in your rearview mirror with a blue light flashing from its dashboard. Do you: a. ignore it and continue driving or b. carefully and slowly pull over to the right side of the road and allow the vehicle to pass you? Before you make your choice, let’s think about what that flashing blue light means. In Montville Township there exists a unique group of individuals who have banded together to assist the community, you, as first responders, either as members of the First Aid Squad, or the town’s Fire Departments. They are your neighbors, friends, and in some cases, family members, who have decided to volunteer their time to respond to an emergency call. Regardless of the time of day, day of the week (including holidays), or the weather and road conditions, their response is guaranteed because they are dedicated and determined to respond to every emergency. As you can imagine, the time it takes for an EMT or firefighter to arrive at the scene of the emergency call or fire is absolutely critical as minutes could mean the difference on whether the patient survives or doesn’t, which begins with the crew getting to the First Aid Squad house to man and dispatch an ambulance, or to the fire house for the fire apparatus. Because these individuals are volunteers, depending upon the hour of day or evening they may need to get to their base of operations driving their personal vehicle from home, and therefore will activate the “blue light” on the vehicle’s dashboard in an effort to alert other vehicles on the road in the hope that the drivers will pull over. Doing so will allow the first responder to pass, and consequently helping to reduce that response time. So knowing what you now know about the critical significance and vital importance of the “blue light,” what will you do the next time you notice a vehicle approaching you from the rear with one flashing? Remember the patient, or fire, which the first responder is trying to respond to may be your neighbor, friend, or even a family member. John Alexander Publicity Officer Montville Township First Aid Squad